Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!
pasteur!ames!hc!lll-winken!uunet!ssbell!mcmi!denny
From: uimpwg@ssgp32 (Multi-Processor Working Group)
Newsgroups: news.announce.conferences
Subject: CFP: Unix International
Keywords: Unix,Multiprocessor,architecture,papers
Message-ID: <888@mcmi.UUCP>
Date: 26 Mar 89 04:00:19 GMT
Expires: 30 Apr 89 23:00:00 GMT
Sender: de...@mcmi.UUCP
Reply-To: uimpwg@ssgp32 (Multi-Processor Working Group)
Organization: Prime Computer, Inc.,Framingham MA -- Entry Level Systems Group
Lines: 123
Approved: denny@mcmi


[While this is a CFP, it's not exactly a conference announcement.
 Comments about its distribution here?	-mod]


UNIX INTERNATIONAL
 Multiprocessing Working Group

 BACKGROUND

 UNIX International has responsibility for working with AT&T's UNIX
 Software Organization (USO) to specify the functionality, high level program
 interface and architectural character of the standard AT&T UNIX System V
 software system that will be provided by USO to the computer industry.	 In
 order to do so in an effective manner, UNIX International is creating a set of
 Working Groups, one in each area where a major step forward in function is
 needed, and where an appropriate solution embedded in the UNIX standard
 would be valuable.

 The procedure that will be used is as follows:

 1.  The working group will be composed from qualified members of UNIX
 International, with some academic participation at the discretion of the
 working group chairman.  The chairman is appointed by the UNIX
 International Steering Committee.

 2.  The viewpoints of any qualified organization or person, whether or not
 a member of UNIX International, is solicited by the working group
 through a Call for UNIX System Requirements, the first of which
 accompanies this letter.

 3.  The working group will review those position papers, and invite some
 of the submitters to discuss their viewpoints with the working group in
 more depth.  The working group may also invite others whose technical
 input it desires.

 4.  The working group is then responsible (in cooperation with the USO
 organization), based on the inputs received and the viewpoints of the
 participants, for preparing a set of functional specifications, a high level
 programming interface, together with architectural guidance, for the
 UNIX International Steering Committee to deliver to AT&T.  It is
 anticipated that the specifications provided by the working group will
 be met by subsequent AT&T UNIX systems.

 THE MULTIPROCESSING WORKING GROUP

 The first working group chartered by UNIX International is concerned with
 the extensions to UNIX System V appropriate for support of computer
 systems composed of a number of main processing elements.  The working
 group expects to complete its work by late summer 1989.  It is chaired by
 Gerald Popek, LOCUS Computing Corporation.  The accompanying Call for
 UNIX System Requirements describes the goals of the working group in more
 detail.  Requests for further information may be addressed to the UNIX
 International headquarters.

MULTIPROCESSOR WORKING GROUP

 Call For UNIX System Requirements

 The Multiprocessor Working Group of UNIX International is charged with
 specifying the functionality that is to be incorporated into subsequent
 standard versions of UNIX System V to support operation by multiple
 processors.  These specifications will include high level programming
 interface extensions as well as the appropriate architectural framework.
 The goal of the committee is to provide a specification that reflects the
 available perspective in the industry, both in terms of a highest quality
 technical solution and one which admits a suitable and timely implementation.

 In order to obtain effective industry input to influence the future of
 multiprocessor UNIX, UNIX International invites members of the computing
 community, both system designers and end users, with an interest and
 perspective on multiprocessor system architectures to submit those points of
 view to the Multiprocessor Working Group in written form.  Submitters are
 encouraged to address as many of the following points as appropriate to your
 interests:

 1.  What are the appropriate criteria by which multiple processor services in
 a UNIX system should be judged?  One of the first tasks which the
 working group will perform is to decide on its evaluation criteria.

 2.  What types of workload, both system and application, are enhanced by
 your suggested approach?  Is there any quantification of the improvement
 that you can offer? Are there any inherent compatibility problems with
 UNIX System V.4, either at the source or binary level, that you can identify?

 3.  What hardware architectural approaches are suitable?  For what number
 of processors and how closely coupled is the recommended approach
 appropriate?  What assumptions about memory access are made (e.g.
 copy on write, linear virtual memory, coherent caches, etc.)?	Are there
 implications on the required hardware structures?

 4.  What general functional extensions for use of multiple processors by
 applications programs are recommended?	 These are the classes of
 services which applications software can use to take effective advantage
 of multiple execution engines simultaneously.

 5.  Consider the high level programming interface to those extensions:
 system calls, display interfaces, and supporting systems services,
 including tools such as debuggers and performance analysis tools.

 6.  What implementation architecture approaches are appropriate to support
 items four and five above?

 7.  Give your justifications for the recommended approaches.  This
 discussion should address the performance impact of the
 recommendations, as well as such other considerations as
 maintainability, portability across different instruction sets and memory
 architectures, etc.

 Papers should not be longer than approximately twenty (20) pages.  They
 should reference published material describing the approach.  Papers should
 be sent to:

		UNIX International
		Multiprocessor Working Group
		6 Century Drive
		Parsippany, New Jersey 07054
		Tel:  201-263-8400 or 1-800-848-6495
		Fax: 201-263-8401

 Papers need to be received by May 1, 1989.  The committee intends to
 complete its work and deliver its specification to UNIX International's
 Steering Committee by late Summer, 1989.